Creating dialogue around chronic health conditions and how it’s manageable
My offerings
Led design strategy to create accurate, accessible, and culturally relevant materials
Translated complex health information into visually appealing and informative materials
Designed illustrations that felt relatable and motivating to the community members engaging with the materials
Background
The vision of COMPASS is to help improve the health of low-income, uninsured, or underinsured populations in Maryland. One of their goals is to share knowledge to help people manage their personal and family health.
Co-creation
The aim was to design materials for different health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol. The center manager, a research assistant, and I were leading this effort. We met weekly to plan big-picture ideas to small details. One question that guided our process was, “How do we make the materials relevant to the community and easy to understand?” We had to get our answers from community members. Thus, we consulted the C-RAC — a group of patients and local residents at the Hopkins School of Nursing who offer community perspectives on different projects! We also got clinical expertise from the faculty and fellows at COMPASS to make sure the health information was correct and safe. In addition, we also learned from public health change theories to understand the best ways to motivate people to change behavior.
Output
We landed on simple four-page brochures with a brand aesthetic that felt celebratory and real.
Utility
All brochures are shared with people during regular health screenings and immunizations that COMPASS offers at the Northeast Market in East Baltimore and many other community events.
The information in the brochure is discussed with people as part of natural conversations.
Note: We added a table in the brochure for people to note their blood pressure readings. I’ve seen people carry the brochures back home so they remember their reading taken at the event!
Collaborator
COMPASS @ Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
Community Health, Health Equity, Social Determinants of Health
2022, Baltimore, USA
